# Making society less of a "viewpoint minefield"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-society-less-of-a-viewpoint-minefield/914785>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 8, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-society-less-of-a-viewpoint-minefield/914785 "2020-07-08T22:05:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 160

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**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-society-less-of-a-viewpoint-minefield/914785/160 "2020-07-11T13:45:21Z")

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Somebody upthread linked to this NY Times article:

> **[Those People We Tried to Cancel? They’re All Hanging Out Together (Published...](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/style/what-is-cancel-culture.html)**
>
> Depriving people of a platform works — in unexpected ways.

(Ah, the board software helpfully points out it was @PhillyGuy…)

I think this is a good illustration of the dangers to progressive viewpoints fostered by cancel culture. The whole article is essentially about how ‘cancellation’ now forms the common ground for a basket of deplorables coming together, grooming their hurt egos, supporting one another and organizing in resistance. People with mildly abhorrent views find themselves united with those whose opinions are absolutely monstrous; this way, the ostracism stands to hurt the cause of those doing the ostracizing, by galvanizing and pushing to the boundaries the views of those that stand against them. Moreover, they’ve been given a legitimate grievance to rail against—or at least, the perception of such.

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